Sailing craft



N0V- 14, 1961 T. M. RUSSELL, JR 3,008,442

SAILING CRAFT ATTORNEY S M. RUSSELL JR.

Nov. 14, 1961 T. M. RUSSELL, JR 3,008,442

SAILING CRAFT Filed Jan. 7, 1959 2 Sheets-SheetI 2 58 FIG..4 F|G.V5

55 IN V EN TOR.

THOMAS M.RUSSELL JR.

BYQDM%W ATTORNEY United States .Patent O "ice 3,008,442 Y SAILING CRAFT Thomas M. Russell, Jr., P.0. Box 85, North Branford, Conn. Filed Jan. 7, v1959, Ser. No. 785,457 Claims (Cl. 114-39) The present invention relates to the of sailing, and particularly to a new and improved integral sailing unit for use with yany type of craft and embodying a novel. principle which is capable of reducing to a the resistance to motion created by contact between certain forms of crafts and the water Within which they are sailing.

There are two different fluids involved in sailing, each having diiferent relative motions. Combining these two relative motions at the point of cont-act of the fluids permits sailing. The iin, centerboard or keel of a sailing craft provides the means for continuing the motion o f the craft through the water inv one direction. The rudder-'is used for varying the direction ofthe motion, o r'course".

The sail is Iadjusted relatively to the'wind vand the'fdesiredf course to provide the sailing motion. Accordingly', Athe primary" parts o-f any unit that will sailincludev a mast, a?

sail, a n or centerboard, and a rudder, all interrelated andconnected together. The only additional essential element comprises a device to float the preceding listed elements. Y v l p One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide an integral sailing unit which may he applied toany integralsailring unit in which the rudder is operated independentlyof the mast and centerrboard.

Another object of the inventionlis to provide such integral sailing unit in which the' 'floating' device` can be p adjusted angularly with regard to said' integral sailing unit.

Another object of the invention is Vto provide such a" and may rotate. more or less continuously relativelyfto a`l45 craft in which the oating device is journaled on a bearing platform that visiixed to the mast.

Another object of this invention is to provide arsaili'ng 4 craft having a lloatingldevice that will wo'rkthe craft up into the wind as it proceeds along its course.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a 3,008,442 Patented Nov. 14, 19er 2 movement of which may be controlled from the occupant supportingv platform. In this wary, the position of the rudder may be controlled at the will of the helmsman.

AThe above as well as other objects and novel features of the invention will lbecome apparent from the following specification and `accompanying drawings which aremerely exemplary.

u along line 4 4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a partial plan view, as viewed along line 5--5 Y of FIG. 3.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. `1 and 2, the principles of the invention have been shown as rap-plied to a sailing craft including a mast 10 of any.

' described later.

A -fin or centerboard 12 may be xed toa sleeve 13 slid upwardly over the lower tubular portion of the mast and locked thereto by through pins 14 or the like. l

A non-rotary hub 15 may be fixed to the mast 10 between the upper end of the sleeve 13 and a shoulder 16 formed on the mast 10. The h ub 15 may include a' cylindrical member 17 Vto which may be fixed flanges- 18 and 19. A floatable member 20 may be journaled on the lcylindricalmember 17 and it may be made of wood, Fibercircular disc-like member.

`An occupant supportingl platform 21 of any desired l 1 shape may be fixed-to `the mast 10 and extend along a glas, or any other Ifloatable material, and it may possess any desired peripheral shape -although it is preferably a plane substantiallyparallel Ito the plane including member 20.` Near the outer end of the pl-atform`21, a roller craft in which the floating device rolls on the Water in a clockwise or a counterclockwise direction, depending upon whether the craftheel's to starboard or to port. y

xed to it a centerboard, to the latter pivotally connected Va rudder.

In another aspect of the invention, an occupant'supporting platform may be rigidly fixed tothe mast.

In another aspect of the invention, the occupant supporting platform may be angul-arly positioned from time to time with regard to-the mast. 1

In a further aspect of the invention, -a floating member may be journaled on a ybearing surrounding the mast, and a roller may be located between the oating member and the occupant supporting platform to permit relative rotary motion therebetween. v Y A i In still another aspect of the invention, an oscillatable shaft may be' located within a holl'oWQlongitudinally extending portion of the mast and may include pulley means for supporting lines extending to each side of the rudder. Another pulley means may support other line means, the

bearing support'zzmay'be fixed to its under surface Yand it may support a roller 23 that rides in contact with the upper surface of Ithe member 20 `so that free relative rotary motion may ybe provided between the member 20 and vthe V support 21. A rudder 24 may be hinged to the linor centerboard 12 along the outer edge 25 thereof. In order to cont-rol the, position of the rudder 24 from the occupant support-.

ing platform 21,l a bearing support 26 is mounted Within the'tubular portion of the mast 10, and a vertically disposed, oscillatable shaft 27 is mounted between bearing. support 26 and an aligned bearing 28 locatedalong the *axis of the mast 10:,at the upper endvof thetubularportion'thereof.

A vp-groove and `may support within the V'fgroovethereofa line 30 Vwrapped around a substantial portionof its-periphery and 'extendingthrough an opening 31 from the interior of the tubular portion of mast 10 Y to the exterior` thereof. Separate strands of line 30maypass through tubular ele ments 32 and l33 fixed to opposite sides of the iin The elements 3,2 and 33 are at thesame elevation and extend to near the end 25 of thecenterboard12.

The rudder 24 may have a bar 34 extending transversely through it'for an equal distance on each side thereof. Brace rods 35 may rigidly x the bar 34 to the rudder 24. The separate strands of line 30 may, respectively,

pulleyrnay bexed to the shaft 3 be connected tothe fre'e ends" of the bar 34 so that when thel shaft 27 is oscillated, the 4rudder 24 will pivot about the end 25 of the centerboard 12.

Referring to FIG. 1 again, another V-groove pulley 36 may be fixed to shaft 27 near the top thereof, and it may be aligned with a similar V-gro'ove pulley 37 fixedl t to a shaft 38 that is journaled in a bearing that extends through the occupant supporting platform 21. A tiller 39Umaybe fixed to the shaft 381for'rn'anipul'atingV the same, and a' belt 40' mayextend'betweerr th'e pulleys 36 and 37, passing from the interior of the tubular portion of mast through` an opening 41 therein.

From the foregoing it is evident that the centerboard prevents rotation ofthe mast 10 as the wind acts on the sail' 111. T he direction of movement is governed by the position of the tiller 39, and the member '29 merely rotates on the bearing hub in a direction depending upon Whether the craft heels to port or to starboard.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the principles of the invention' are shown as applied to a craft having a hull 50 of usual construction. An opening 51 may be provided' in the hull S0, and a tubular sleeve 52' may have an outside diameter to snugly lit the opening 51 and to be joined' to the hull in a marmer to prevent leakage of water into the hull between the outsideof the sleeve 52 and the opening. 51. The sleeve 52 may extend upwardly through a support' 53 and a flange 54 on the top of sleeve 52Y may be xed to the support 53, thereby providing a substantially vertical tubular bearing, opening fromAV the inside to the outside of the hull 50.

A mast 55 may extend downwardly throughv the sleeve S2" a substantial distance beneath the hull. 50 and itl may include a boss56l adaptedl to restvon, and formV a` thrust bearing with, the top .of the flange 54 for the mast 55. A mainsail 57 maybe attached to the mast 55 in the usual manner.

A sleeve 58i may be fixed to the bottom ofthe mastv 55` in the same Way that the sleeve 13 isy fixed to the mast 10'0f`FIG. 1`.

is` fixed tothe sleeve 13'. Y Y

The lower portion of the mast 535 may be provided with avertically extending chamber 61, within which a vertical shaft 62 may be journaled. The shaft62f may have fixed to itv` a grooved pulley 63 aroundwhich may extend a line- 621. The two spaced, parallel portions of line 64- ma'y. pass over` pulley means 65 having an axis of rotation atright angles to thev axis ofshaft 62.v Other pulley means. 66 may. befprovided for directing the reaches of the line/rearwardly ofthe hull 50 to-apulley- 67 fixed to the bottom of a shaft 68, to the top of theylatter ofy which a tiller 69 may be fixed.

notlier line 70 may extend `frorn the rudder 60 to a pulley on the lower end of shaft 62 in the same wary that line 3'0 extends from rudder 24to the pulley 29 in FIG. 1.

Y The construction and arrangement may be such thatoscillation ofthe tiller 69 will be transferred to the shaft 62 within the chamber 61 of the mast 55, and hence oscillatethe rudder 60.

Referringo' FIGS. 3 and l5, an arm 71 may be fixed- Also, a lin 59 having a hinged rudder 60 may' be fixed to the sleeve 58 in the same -way that iin 12V 1. A sailing craft comprising in combination, a mast; a fin fixed to' said mast; a rudder pivotally connected to said mast; an occupant supporting platform fixed to said mast; and a iioat between said iin and `support and rotatable about said mast.

2. A sailing craft comprising in combination, a mast; a iin fixed to s'aid mast; al rudderV pivotally connected to said mast; an occupant supporting platform fixed to said mast; a float between said lin`V and support and rotatable about said mast;` and means for operating said rudder from said platfonm.

3". A sailing craft comprising in combination, a mast; a` iin iixed to said mast; a rudder pivoted to said fin; an occupant supporting platform fixed to said mast; and a float between said lin and support and rotatable about saidfnast. l

4'. A sailing craft comprising in combination, a mast; a .iin fixed-to said mast; a rudder pivoted to said nn; an occupant supporting platform fixed to said mast; a iioat between said iin and support and rotatable about said mast; and: means for operating said rudder from said platform.

5; For use with a sailing craft, the combination comprising a mast;` a fin integrally connected to said mast independentlyof a floatable object' to which said combination is adaptedY to be applied; a rudder pivotally connected to" said" fin; an o'scillatable shaft within a hollow portion' of said mast; motion transmitting means connecting saidshaftto said rudder; and means for oscillating said.r

shaft.

6, In combination, a hull; a mast extending through said hull and journaled in a bearing within said hull; a

iin integrally connected toI said' mast independently of said hull; anda rudder pivotally connected to said fin. I n

7. Incombination, a hull, la mast extending through said h'ull and journaled in a bearing 'with-in said hull; a iin integrally connected to said mast independently of said hull; a rudder pivotally connectedto said tin; and means for adjusting said mast, fin and rudder angularly relatively to said hull.

8. In' c'mbinatioma hull; a mastY extending throughv said hull and journaled a bearing within; said hull; a finv integrally connected to said mast independently of said hull; a rudder'pivotally connected to said iin; and` tiller within said hull;

10.' In combination', a oatable means; a mast extending from said' oatable means and joumaled in a bearing supported 'by' saidA iioatable means; a iin integrally connected' to' said mast independently of said floatable means; a ruddenpivotall'y connected to said iin', and means for adjusting' said mast, lin and rudder angularly relatively to said floatable means.

References Cited inthe file of this patentV UNITED STATES-PATENTS 198,649 Great Britain May 1, 1924 293,226 Germany July 22, 1916 374,931 Great Britain June 16, 1932 1,147,295 FranceA June 3, 1957 

